The Year After
by NightwillDawn
Summary: It is the year after the Battle and Luna is now in her 7th year at Hogwarts. What will happen when she starts to realize she might need to grow up? And when she notices this Slytherin she's never seen before?


Chapter 1

The world tumbles around me. It is like a horrific dream, but not a nightmare. No, nightmares are always fast, almost in fast forward mode. This is all slow like in slow motion and it seemed like I'm the only thing moving regularly. I dodge a spell, it almost touching me. I hear my name being called.

"Luna! _Luna! __**Luna! LUNA**_!"

I turn around to see who needs my help. I don't see anyone. I look up. There is Nevill, screaming at me, making wild gestures with his hands, and jumping up and down. He points franticly down. I look to where he is pointing to see a Death Eater flick his wand in my direction, mumbling something. My eyes widen. I look at Nevill. I smile dreamily and wave goodbye before my body is hit by the green spell.

I waked up in a jolt. I was dreaming about the Great Battle again. Though I do prefer the real ending then the ones in my dreams. I looked around me. I was still safe and sound in the Ravenclaw dormitory, but not in my bed. I had fallen asleep in the Commun Room while reading about Narggles. The big clock on the wall in front of me showed 5:30 A.M. I was up late. I gathered my books before heading up the staircase up the the girl's dormitory. I slipped into my room, which I shared with Cho Chang, Aretha Little and Janet Homes. I didn't really like any of them. They might have been smart but no one would have known if they'd not been placed in Ravenclaw, their conversations were so shallow. I put away my books and brushed my long blond hair, which had gotten tangled in with the Bumbleberry cupcake I'd been eating. When my desperate efforts to destickefy my hair without water failed, I sighed and went to take a shower. I put the heat up and soaked myself in the burning hot water, before quickly changing it to freezing cold. I smiled as the water made me shiver slightly. I got my shampoo checked how much was left, and when seeing the little amount left, unscrewed the top and dumped it on my head. There was a bit more then I expected. Some went in my eyes burning even after I rinsed. My vision was a bit blurry, the mix of water and shampoo made it hard to see much. Not able to find my towel, I decided to continue my shower, even with impaired sight. I reached out to where we all kept our conditioner, not caring if I got mine or one of my roommate's. I caught a small bottle. I squinted to read the instructions, probably my only quirky habit that I had to do every time I used hair products._ One use only. Use all bottle on ALL your head. Make sure you lather it on all your hair. Rinse after around 25 minutes. _I continued my shower, following the instructions of the conditioner to the letter. When I came out of the shower I dried myself and my hair. I looked in the mirror quickly. Then I did a double take.

"HOLY SHIT!" I screamed.

The reflection in the mirror showed a brunette. A deep chestnut brown. All I could do is stare. Someone then started banging on the door. I quickly threw on underwear, my pair of blue and white stripped high-waisted shorts and a blue lacy bra. I opened the door a sliver so that whoever was at the door could only see my right big grey eye. It was Janet.

"Luna, are you ok? We heard you scream. It kinda woke us up. Everything alright?" she asked.

Behind her I saw Cho and Aretha. I sighed.

" I think that because I had shampoo in my eyes that I accidentally used someone's hair dye as conditioner," I explained as I opened the door more, revealing my coloured hair to my roommates. They gasped.

" Oh my fucking god, Luna, I'm so sorry, I wanted my hair to be a dark brown almost black instead of completely black!" exclaimed Cho Chang in a muffled voice, having brought her hand to her mouth in dismay.

" Is it that bad?" I asked miserably.

" It's actually really pretty," declared Aretha.

They all agreed quickly.

" I even think it suits you better then blond!" added Janet.

I looked back in the mirror, actually contemplating how I looked and not just the fact that my hair fucking was brown. I was still me, but I looked so different. But a good different. My eyes stood out more and my skin tone didn't seem as washed out. I smiled slightly.

My smiled had disappeared by the time I reached the Great Hall. Ever since I'd left my dorm room, I'd felt like every bloody eye was on me. And I wasn't like previous years where I didn't mind because it was what I was wearing that got me those looks ( I realized that sure I could be different, but I didnt have to look like a psycho that had just escaped colourfull Azcaban). But now it was something I hadn't plan on doing, something not meant to draw attention. I didn't like it. I hadn't been this self-conscious since 5rd grade when all my clothes had been attacked by Narggles and all I could wear where my grandma's long frilly ball gowns to the pre-wizarding school my dad had sent me to make some friends (that didn't really work). I tried to compose myself before entering, smoothing my sheer bright red blouse tucked into my shorts. I went an sat beside Ginny, not wanting to be tormented by my fellow Housemates. Ginny looked at who was sitting beside her and gasped when she realized it was me.

" That crappy?" I asked.

" No it looks_ great_! I'm just surprised!" she answered.

" It was a mistake. And I'm dreading every minute of it so far. Everyone staring at me because it looks horrible!"

Ginny looked around seeing the many people staring at my hair.

" Luna, they're staring cause they like it!"

" Ya right."

I looked up to see a Sytherin boy staring at me. I'd never seen him before. I looked back down to my plate in embarrassment before getting up quickly. Ginny looked up but didn't ask me where I was going, knowing that I left my friends to be alone. I found myself at the waterfalls. I sat down, soaking my feet in the cool water. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I cried while the reasons finally came out, the things I'd kept bottled up inside for the whole summer. Everything had changed. The battle had brought so many, _too_ may, deaths. I hated the effect the war had brought on my dad. He continued on telling me he'd invented all the creatures in the Quibbler. I didn't like believing that he'd lied to me so I just didn't. But the idea had a toll. I wasn't quite as... _detached_ I was before. I was still unique, but I didn't stand out like I used to. I'd started to almost dismiss the existence of Narggles and Blibbering Humdingers. I had changed. But I didn't like change. And now with my hair, I felt like a different person. I wiped the water from eyes and looked at my reflection in the mirror. To my surprise, I didn't see a stranger. I saw me, like I'd always had. But I also saw someone else. The reflection of a boy. I squinted my eyes, not quite registering what I was seeing. Then I gasped, and spun around to be face to face with the Slytherin I'd seen earlier.


End file.
